King Dalindyebo has to repay February salary

The Eastern Cape government has demanded that jailed AbaThembu king Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo repay his February salary, about R100 000.

Dalindyebo was paid for February as the halting of his payments was still being processed, provincial co-operative governance and traditional affairs spokesperson Mamnkeli Ngam said on Wednesday.

“For fairness he was paid for the month of February. We will follow a process to ensure that his February salary is recouped from his gratuities,” Ngam told News24.

He said the department could not withhold money from the king because it had not finished discussions with him, which was why it was initially paid. The parties agreed it would be repaid via gratuities.

Ngam said Dalindyebo received an annual salary of R1.2 million from the department, including a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee worth over R500 000. The car was a gift last year for the work he did in his constituency.

The car was taken away as soon as he was incarcerated, for safe keeping.

On December 31, Dalindyebo handed himself over at Mthatha prison to begin serving his 12-year sentence after unsuccessfully trying several legal avenues to avoid jail.

In January, he was admitted to Life St Dominic’s Hospital in East London for treatment of a stomach ulcer. He was then moved to the East London prison.In 2009, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for culpable homicide, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, arson, and kidnapping.

He was granted bail pending the outcome of his appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal. In October last year, the SCA set aside his culpable homicide conviction and reduced his sentence to 12 years. On December 2, the Constitutional Court dismissed Dalindyebo’s appeal against his sentence.

The charges related Dalindyebo's mistreatment of his subjects between 1995 and 1996.

Dalindyebo set fire to the houses of three tenants to evict them because he believed they had breached tribal rules.

He publicly assaulted three young men for crimes they had allegedly committed. Dalindyebo's subjects beat to death a fourth man, Saziso Wafa, who they had suspected of having been party to the alleged crimes. They allegedly did this on Dalindyebo's instructions.